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Morning Edition
Cathy Wurzer and Gracie Stockton

Will new leadership buoy the Minnesota Timberwolves? We asked an expert

Two men watch an NBA basketball game
Alex Rodriguez (right) and Marc Lore attend a game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers at Target Center on Dec. 30, 2023 in Minneapolis.
David Berding | Getty Images 2023

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As the Timberwolves prepare to host the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday night, the future of the franchise is courtside, looming large over the action.

On Monday, former Walmart CEO Mark Lore and retired baseball star Alex Rodriguez took a victory lap, prevailing in an arbitration ruling that paves the way for their ownership of the team. Fans, critics and sports journalists alike have roundly criticized current owner Glen Taylor for his leadership.  

The Timberwolves have made it to the playoffs just twice in three decades, advancing to the NBA Western Conference Finals for the first time last year.  

“If you talk about wins and losses, for quite a while, they were the professional sports team among the four major sports — hockey, basketball, football, baseball — that had the worst winning percentage for quite some time in recent years,” MinnPost Timberwolves columnist Britt Robson told Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer Wednesday. “I would say in that respect it has been a failure.”  

Taylor bought the Wolves in 1994. At that time, there was talk of the franchise moving to New Orleans.  

“So as in his purchase of the Star Tribune newspaper, he has wanted... this to be a local community asset, and so for that, I think he deserves credit,” Robson said.  

Throughout his ownership, Taylor has refused to sell the team to anyone who considered moving the Timberwolves out of Minnesota.  

Unlike the public, the players have been pretty quiet about the Lore-Rodriguez news.  

“Whenever I’ve asked the players about it, they just, you know, usually chuckle and look off to the side and say, ‘it’s above my pay grade,’ and so on and so forth,” Robson said. “I think as long as... the day-to-day operation of the team isn’t affected, it isn’t pinched in any way, shape or form, that the players don’t care that much.”  

Listen to the full conversation with Robson by clicking the player button.